Issue 32, 2023

The design of highly conductive and stretchable polymer conductors with low-load nanoparticles

Abstract

Highly conductive and stretchable polymer conductors fabricated from conductive fillers and stretchable polymers are urgently needed in flexible electronics, implants, soft robotics, etc. However, polymer conductors encounter the conductivity-stretchability dilemma, in which high-load fillers needed for high conductivity always result in the stiffness of materials. Herein, we propose a new design of highly conductive and stretchable polymer conductors with low-load nanoparticles (NPs). The design is achieved by the self-assembly of surface-modified NPs to efficiently form robust conductive pathways. We employ computer simulations to elucidate the self-assembly of the NPs in the polymer matrices under equilibrium and tensile states. The conductive pathways retain 100% percolation probability even though the loading of the NPs is lowered to ∼2% volume. When the tensile strain reaches 400%, the percolation probability of the ∼2% NP system is still greater than 25%. The theoretical prediction suggests a way for advancing flexible conductive materials.

Graphical abstract: The design of highly conductive and stretchable polymer conductors with low-load nanoparticles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 May 2023
Accepted
24 Jul 2023
First published
25 Jul 2023

Soft Matter, 2023,19, 6176-6182

The design of highly conductive and stretchable polymer conductors with low-load nanoparticles

Y. Sun, C. Zhao, Y. Zhu, J. Guan, L. Zhang, L. Wei, Z. Sun and Y. Huang, Soft Matter, 2023, 19, 6176 DOI: 10.1039/D3SM00669G

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